Central American Liberalism as illustrated by Justo Rufino Barrios – Guatemala.
Right after the conservatism leader died, Rafael Carrera in 1865. The liberals led by Justo Rufino Barrios as president of Guatemala brought a new set of thinking, the changes did not start to take place at the beginning of his presidency, he waited about two years to start making changes, this is when his dictatorship started.
First Barrios and his successors started to consolidate power by dismantling the indigenous communities and taking the properties, they also confiscated the land of the church and sold it to private interests.
Barrios issued instructions to locals magistrates to see to it “that any India who seeks to evade his duty is punish to the full extent of the law, that farmers are fully protected and that each Indian is forced to do a full day’s work while in service.”
The socioeconomic and ideological changes, include to have a form of white supremacy he wanted to “whiten” the population by limiting the immigration to white Europeans and white individuals migrating from the United States, which these immigrants were able to purchase land seized by the government, by 1914 foreign-owned land produced almost half of Guatemala’s coffee.
The socioeconomic and ideological changes, include to have a form of white supremacy he wanted to “whiten” the population by limiting the immigration to white Europeans and white individuals migrating from the United States, which these immigrants were able to purchase land seized by the government, by 1914 foreign-owned land produced almost half of Guatemala’s coffee.
He also rejected religion giving place for secularism and expansion for secular education; however, there were no funds available for education as fifty years later there were still 86 % of the population were illiterate.
The labor systems were very similar to other neighboring countries “debt peonage” which indigenous workers issued a voucher to be used at the company’s store, and they were forced to take advance payments which will make them subject to habitation, which means landlords were to keep them on their land as long as they wanted.
Barrios also restarted the colonial system mandamientos which required indigenous people to accept an offer of work from planters.
However, Guatemala natives were resistant to the liberals they face the military and united themselves in resistance in communities that keep their customs, ancestral languages and religious rituals against the homogenizing power of liberalism. Their groups were called Guachibales.
Justo Rufino Barrios wanted to have the power, control, and authority. Making it easy and the individuals with money and military power with him. His government shifted the wealth and power and authority from the limited, poor and weak to the big and influential ones, making them more powerful; the culture was also changed by bringing white immigrants and increasing secularism through schools and taking the authority from the Roman Catholic church.
Keen, Benjamin, and Keith Haynes. A History of Latin America. 9th ed., vol. 2 2, Suzanne Jeans, 2012.
“Justo Rufino Barrios.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Feb. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justo_Rufino_Barrios.
